This symposium has several objectives. These include determination of the current status of studies on saliva in relation to caries research; identification of new areas for investigation and areas that need to be re-examined; critical evaluation of the methodology and the various model systems currently being used in salivary caries research; stimulation of researchers within and outside of dentistry to focus on key problems; examination of saliva as a vehicle for, and an antagonist to, the use of chemotherapeutic agents for the prevention of dental caries; publication of the information gathered at this workshop in monograph form and making it available for general use. To accomplish these objectives, the proposed symposium will bring persons of diverse backgrounds and interests from dental research and other disciplines. Presentations and discussions have been organized along the following lines. The first group of papers will deal with the nature of the constituents of the salivary secretions. Because of their importance, emphasis will be placed on the various classes of salivary proteins, as well as the effects of a variety of physiological and pathological factors on their secretion. The second group of presentations and discussions will examine the role of saliva in the caries process through its influence and that of its components on the oral bacteria, the carbohydrate available for their utilization and the teeth they attack. The third part will deal with the defense systems common to exocrine secretions and an exploration of the various human, animal, and in vitro models currently being used to study saliva-caries relationships, the problems imposed by saliva when therapeutic agents are used against dental caries and strategies for utilizing salivary secretions in caries prevention. The concluding session of the symposium will provide an opportunity for presentation and discussion of recommendations for future research prepared by assigned task groups.